The Truth About Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X rose to fame with his hit "Old Town Road." Before he knew it, he went from being a total unknown to hobnobbing with music's elite...and facing a controversial decision from Billboard. Here's a closer look at the artist who's rocking a cowboy hat from Gucci, Wrangler on his booty.

Lil Nas X earned his high school diploma, but when it was time for him to keep his head buried inside of his college books, the Atlanta artist had other plans. In 2018, he dropped out of college to pursue his music career, telling TIME,

"My dad initially was like, 'There's a million rappers in this industry.' [My parents] wanted me to go back to school."

X released his first project, Naserati, in 2018, according to Billboard. He then released "Old Town Road," which topped "the Spotify United States Top 50 and global Apple Music charts." And right before his 20th birthday, he signed a record deal with Columbia Records. Not bad for a guy who had dropped out of college less than a year earlier.

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A college-drop out with a plan | 0:19 It all started as a meme | 0:54 Country music reacts | 1:26 His inner struggles | 2:23 Ditching his name? | 2:56 Coming out | 3:42